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A POEM 



BY MARY A. SMITH. 



Entered, according lo Act of Congress, March ITth 1S81. 



NEW TOKK. 

[PrintPd at 433 Eijrhth Avenue. 
1881. 

PRICt, 50 CENTS. 



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-IBEH ISPS^ mET" jm^ en3 



A POEM, 
BY MARY A. SMITH. 



Ent( rod, according to Act of Con^n s«, March 171 b 1881. 



NEW YORK. 

[Printed at 433 Eightli A:veuneJ 
1881. 



(TV ;, ..^.?.S:.o.1v ' 



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PREFACE. 



A demonstration of uncompromising single- 
heartedness, the author would here commemorate. 
She begs to name Henry KmoLE, who for the sake 
of his convictions — foimded upon delusions though 
those convictions were — sacrificed a position as 
honorable as any in the land. Again she begs — 
begs not to be counted presumptions by him 
whose honest bravery she holds to be unsurpass- 
ed by any one of his day, or any day. 



'^r o T HE rt K A. i> ii: ii 



When compositions powerful, elegant, sweet — 
either and all combined — are abundant in literaM! 
ture, have you, reader, paid more than its value 
for this ? 



I 



Th(; heart of the author has, all of the days 
since she lenrncd to think, been with them who 
were her fellow-strugglers for honest livelihood. 

She now believes that she could do material 
good, had she means to work with. 'J'o gather- 
such means she submits, to yciu, this expanding 
of an incident from real domestic history. 



HIS FACE AND HER FACE. 



-o- 



Impatientlj the lady turned, 

With mocks for her own sighs, 
While anger on her clear cheek burned. 

And in her large blue eyes ; 
But then again the horror fell, 

Wrath checked not sorrow lono* * 
'' I've lost his love— I kfiow it well ; 

1 bear a bitter wrong," 

While back and forth across the floor, 

She paced with changing tread — 
Watching from pane the outer door, 

By light from street lamp shed^ — 
Her regal hight seemed higlier still, 

And scorn put foot on woe ; 
When her pain o'ercame her will, 

She bent as 'neath a blow. 



6 

The lady chose to have no light, 

Save what the live coals gave, 
Enough for her who bent her sight 

So fiercely on the pave : 
It lit the room, and showed that gold, 

And care, and love, and wit. 
Had made home 't were bliss to hold, 

If hearts for bliss were fit. 

And now again she nears the pane, 

And laughs in bitter key ; 
At the door is Richard McKane — 

Grieving he shall not see. 
Idly swinging in cushioned chair, 

So Richard found his wife ; 
'Mazed he hears from the lady fair 

Tones with scornfulness rife. 



Kindly he answered words of flame, 

Wondering more and more ; 
Still the storm of bitterness camp, 

Flooding him o'er and o'er. 
•'Magnanimous! Mr. McKane, 

To leave me, by the fiie ; 
^A fearful hloiv,^ you need not feign : 

I'm out when winds are higher." 

Bending, he looked into her face, 

Amazement in his own ; 
''Yes, I have been out of the place, 

Of this, it seems, you 've known ; 
But, I am sure, you can't think ill. 

May with that fact belong, 
Though all not clear— do, shellv, still 

Let faith continue strongf." 



8 

" Sir, you 've not bem lidinj; alone ! 

Doctor came in to tell 
That his M'ife's sister, Katie Stone, 

Died last night at the Dell. 
He met you, taking someone down. 

Afterward the childien 
Saw you go up with Jennie Brown, 

/ luaiting here till then! '' 

'' Waiting for what? you are not plain." 

" At my father's, to-day, 
We were to be — sunshine or rain, 

Off by ten—did 'nt y..u say ?" 
" Your mother's birHi-day : — but Rachel), 

Although the morn was warm, 
The blow I meant" — •• You know full well. 

We 'd time a-herid the storm." 



JJ 



'* I sent a line telling you why — 

" By the man in the moon/' 
Stone-like became his erst kind eye : 

"That loliy was here by noon." 
The words had scarcely left his lips, 

When Ann came in : — ''■ Sure, mam, 
This letter me memory slips ; 

'Twas left this morn, by Sam." 

'' My office boy, Mrs. McKane." 

Setting the note on fire ; 
'' Madam," said he, ^' now is it plain. 

In part I'm not a liar.?" 
'' Some reason for your coming not, 

Which now 'twere vain to give," 
[f I explain, may T be shot, 

To-night, or while I live !'* 



10 

^^ I know enough." '^ Enough you v'e said, 

'Tis well you 're now at home, — 
That the children are in their bed ; 

Fine weather this to roani !" 
" Go or stay I had no option : 

You wer'nt ruled by weather, 
But by that bold faced distraction ! 

/ set aside for her'' 

" Yesterday she was Jennie deary 

^' She 's an audacious thing ! 
From such life I '11 soon be clear : 

You have danced, now go sing.'* 
^' Do go a-head and make stir : 

See who '11 be hardest hit." 
" None to threaten me I 11 suffer ; 

Vile you are ! — I'll prove it." 



11 

*' You '11 prove yourself an idiot. 

Drop this senseless fancy ; 
Let unkind words be all forgot. 

Play I've just come, Shelly." 

*' Touch me, sir, and 1 '11 strike vour face." 

The words upon the air 
She started — shuddered — oh ! disgrace ! 

So coarse — well might he stare. 

What could she do ? — apologize ? 

Sav what ? — for not an inch 
Had he moved back ! She read his eyes : 

If she struck, he 'd not flinch. 
Must she admit she 'd gone too far ? 

What from this could save her ? 
How best get out this horrid jai", 

Seeing now no traitor? 



12 

For to hor soul a light now come, 

By which she saw him true ; 
A spirit foe had made blame 

The man whose worth she knew. 
Her angel now that spirit chased, 

And bright again she grew ; 
Though shamed, confused, her task she 
faced, 

And wit thus helped her through. 

He owned the face")^ that met his gaze ; 

She w^as his, he owned her : 
That 'twas so she'd gloried always. 

And through this she'd conquer. 
Her foolish rage, her wicked doubts, 

If these he would for give 
He never more should meet with flouts. 

As long as she should live. 



13 

Raising her hand she struck a blow, 

Up her blushing cheek. 
The lover-husband was not. slow 

To catch the meaning meek ; 
He took the kiss so late refused, 

And sinking in a chair 
Drew to his knee, as he was used, 

His Madam Golden Hair. 

" Shelly darling,— don't be started ; — 

T. J. Brown was killed to day," 
Shelly, white and crimson mottled, 

Moved her trembling lips to say, 
" Jennie's brother ! Dick ! killed how ? " 

" But for a bale misplaced 
And falling, he were dancing now — 

Not lying coffin-cased." 



14 

'' Died he under the fearful weight?'* 

•'He breathed from nine till three." 
" Lingered in a suffering state ?" 

" Oh, it was hard to see." 
" To where the brother was lying, 

You took the sister down ; — 
She went to her brother dying ; — 

Of earth her all ; — Tom Brown." 

*' Even in the first of the shock, 

All at a glance was clear ; 
But don't you see we 've 'scaped a rock 

Nearly wrecking us, dear ? 
To mark the faults which threatened love, 

I shall set a beacon 
The grave of quarrel first above :" 

Stern he was as deacon. 



15 

*' Ob, Dick, I was a wicked fool," 

" Not you so much as I : 
I ouo-ht have told you,— keeping cool ; 

For peace I did not try. 
We never more shall have dispute, 

And this is what secures — 
You warmed my face, and I shall put 

A coal of fire to yours.'' 

They stood before the glowing grate, 

His arm bound both of hers, 
He raised tae fire— she struck— to late ; 

Just above his whiskers 
Those showed a mark— blood breaking 

Cruel whitish searing, [through. 

" Dick ! Oh, Dick McKane, how could 

Soon ril have it healing.'' [you ! 



16 

With loving haste the pain she lulled, 

Ease gave the tortured face ; 
Not many days and all was cured, — 

Gone, save a faintish trace. 
"Shelly, witch, why did you do it? 

Wherefore mar that plan of mine ?" 
** Of the mark there 's a tiny bit, 

If, indeed, we need a sign." 

" Well, when a woman will, she will." 

" 'Twas my will, and duty, 
To keep Old Hair face handsome still — 

Rescue my own beauty.^' 
'^ The beauty of a hairy face !" 

" Yes, beauty ! — splendid, Dick ; 
And T shall always know the place, 

By marks which grow there thick." 



17 

" How so ! — by marks which grow there 

" Bad One, there's the furrow, [thick ?" 
Made for time by your wicked trick ; 

Roots which in it burrow, 
Send beard out coarse and all awry : 

You 'd no right to do so." 
" Shelly, once we said — you and I — 

Life we 'd hate, trust laid low. 

Six years ago, 'twas so we talked ; 

Counts faith less now tlian then? 
Was that a dream which lured and mocked ? 

Must it be forgotten ? 
Girls, as I loved you when 1 wooed you, 

I must love you till I die ; 
That in this I'm ever true, 

Witness scar below my eye. 



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